OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY

OF THE BROTHERS GRANAT PARTNERSHIP

Esteemed Colleague! Several days ago, despairing of the possibility of completing the work, I sent you a refusal of it together with an apology*. Now, however, political circumstances, upon which I depend so heavily, have suddenly changed fundamentally once again: firstly, martial law in St. Petersburg, which I read about today in Russian newspapers, has been introduced until September 4, 1914, apparently signifying a suspension until that time of the newspaper in which I was writing; secondly, war will apparently suspend a series of urgent political matters that have been burdening me. Therefore, I could now undertake the continuation of the article on Marx that I had begun and would probably be able to finish it soon. If you have not yet commissioned another person and have not bound another author, please answer me by telegram (at my expense): Uljanow. Poronin. Rabotaite.

If you have already bound another person, please do not refuse to answer by postcard.

Accept the assurance of my complete respect. V. Ilyín

in the 4th edition of the Collected Works

* See the present volume, pp. 324-325. Ed.

Written July 28, 1914

Sent to Moscow

First published in 1950

in Vol. 35 of V. I. Lenin's Collected Works

Printed from the manuscript